When cutouts are installed in the field without a cover, they present a risk of electrical shock to wildlife and installers (linemen). Installations of most covers on the market require the removal of the stinger wire prior to installation. Some conventional covers can fit over a cutout without removing the stinger wire from the assembly, but those covers are multiple piece designs that must be installed while a lineman is wearing rubber gloves to protect against electrocution, thus requiring the lineman to be near the cutout via a ladder or bucket truck.
There are at least two examples of very rigid plastic covers (from Raychem and Eco Electric) that claim hot stick capabilities such that the stinger wire does not have to be removed and the device does not have to be rubber gloved.
Each of these designs has independent fasteners that the lineman must individually install by bringing the hot-stick to his level, capturing with the hot-stick, and then again reaching to the cutout to install. If multiple fasteners are needed, this process must occur more than one time. This presents two problems: (1) installation time is increased each time the installer must bring the end of the hot-stick back to his level, and (2) the level of difficulty of installing an independent (or loose) fastener with a hot-stick is much greater than installing an integral fastener.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved cutout cover with minimal material that protects wildlife and guards against animal induced power outages. This improved cutout cover will have a simple, inexpensive yet elegant, design with a short installation time, and a low level of installation and manufacturing difficulty with preferably, hot-stick grab points that a lineman can control without risking physical damage.